


All I want for Christmas is you

by KristiLynn



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, F/F, F/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-25 23:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13223391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KristiLynn/pseuds/KristiLynn
Summary: It's Christmas time in The Bad Place and Eleanor realizes she loves Tahani





	All I want for Christmas is you

**Author's Note:**

> written for tgpsecretsanta over on tumblr

Eleanor woke up like always, made her coffee like always, and headed out to meet the rest of the group at Tahani’s. Everything was exactly like it always was, until she stepped outside.

“The bad place has frozen over,” Eleanor exclaimed as she stepped inside Tahani’s house brushing the snow from her clothes & hair.

Just then Janet appeared from out of nowhere. “Happy Holidays!” She exclaimed throwing tinsel in the air right above Eleanor’s head.

“What the fork?”

“It’s Vicky’s newest torture idea.” Michael explained as he walked into the foyer carrying a red & green sweater with a dancing elf stitched on the sleeve. “What’s worse than the Christmas season?”

“I’m sorry,” Janet interrupted “it’s the Holiday season. All holidays are equally awful.”

“That’s not true Michael. Christmas is dope. Snowmen, cookies, penguins!” Jason said pointing to the ice skating penguins on his sweater.

Tahani walked down the stairs dressed as Mrs. Clause. A very sexy, leggy Mrs. Clause Eleanor noted. “Yes but there’s also being stuck with your family for days on end, gaining weight seemingly out of nowhere and,” she grimaced as she finished her list “secret Santa.”

“Which just happens to be why I’m here. “ Michael said. He tossed Eleanor the sweater and then snapped his fingers causing Janet to appear beside him with a bowl full of papers. “Everyone draw a name.”

“You aren’t serious Michael,” Chidi scolded him, arms crossed.

“Yeah,” Eleanor grumbled as she struggled to pull the sweater over her head “just tell us who Vicky wants us to be paired up with so we can get on with this stupid scheme.”

“That’s the thing, Secret Santa is thought to be this fun team building exercise but it’s never satisfying. Not for the giver or the receiver.” 

“Kind of like oral sex for the first time.” Eleanor held up a hand waiting for someone to give her a high five. “Just me?” She rolled her eyes and reached for the bowl. “Whatever.   
Let’s just draw names and get this over with.” 

She plucked a piece of paper out of the bowl and passed it to Jason. 

_Don’t be Michael, don’t be Michael,_ She thought to herself as she unfolded the piece of paper. _Tahani._

Eleanor shrugged. Oh well, could be worse. 

\----

“Hey teach!” Eleanor said walking into Chidi’s house. “Ready for some lea--woah. What’s going on there bud?”   
Chidi was standing in front of his whiteboard. Charts and diagrams were coving it along with a list of every Fast and Furious movie.

“I cannot figure out what to do for Jason,” Chidi explained. “It took me this long to decide that it would have something to do with The Fast and The Furious franchise since that is pretty much the only thing I definitely know he likes.”

“Hey!” Eleanor patted him on the back. “You made a decision. Good job!” 

“Yes, but I’m starting to wonder if it perhaps is to big of a theme and I need to go back to the drawing board per se and choose something a bit smaller.”

“Or you can set up a screening of every Fast and Furious movie for him to watch along with wing’s from that weird wing place he likes.”  
Chidi stared at her. “That’s so generic. It doesn’t come from the heart.”

“Michael said it himself, it’s not supposed to be satisfying.”

“I don’t believe that. Jason is my friend, although I’m using that word loosely, I want to get him something that shows I care. What did you get your secret santa?”

“A dress.” Chidi looked at her, his eyebrow cocked. “Fork you it’s an awesome dress.”

\---

_It is an awesome dress,_ Eleanor thought that night as she laid in her stupid clown bedroom staring at the dress hung on the wall. 

It was a periwinkle blue strapless dress with crystal snowflakes covering the bodice. And okay, maybe it is a little to short but Tahani has the legs to pull it off. The dress is awesome.

_But is it the right gift for Tahani?_ That thought kept bouncing around in Eleanor’s head. During the short time this attempt had been going on she’d actually started to like Tahani, you know as a friend. And a dress that she literally spent no time on didn’t feel like a present to give a friend.

“Janet!” Eleanor called out to the empty room.

“Hello!” Janet said coming, as always, from out of nowhere.

“Hi. I need a few things.”

\---

In high school Eleanor was placed in a home ec class because as the counselor told her “All girls need to learn to cook so they can grow up to be good wives and mothers.” Well Eleanor said “Fork that” and demanded that she be put into some other class where the phrase “Good wives and mothers” would never be used. The only other class open that period was woodshop, and you know what: she rocked that class. 

Which is why now, at one in the morning, the day secret santa presents were supposed to be exchanged Eleanor was putting the finishing touches on a wooden picture frame she had made herself. It was made from a beautiful mahogany wood with the words Congratulations Beautiful hand carved in it. Eleanor had never been more proud of anything in her life. 

As she waited for the last coat of shellac to dry Eleanor decided that there was one last thing this present needed. 

“Janet!”

“Hello!” 

“Hi. I need a picture of me and Tahani.”

Janet waved her hand and suddenly hundreds of thumbnail sized pictures of Tahani and Eleanor appeared in front of Eleanor. 

“That is three hundred out of a possible six thousand pictures.”

“Okay,” Eleanor whistled. “Um, lets filter out all pictures where Tahani looks weird.” Nothing changed. “Alright. How about we filter out all pictures where I look weird.”

Thumbnails began to disappear and move around in front of Eleanor’s eyes.

“That is three hundred out of a possible three hundred,” Janet told her.

“Well, that doesn’t make me feel bad about myself.” Eleanor sighed and took a seat on the couch. “Pull up the first one.”

Eleanor made it through half the photos before she noticed a similarity in all the pictures. “Hey Janet, filter out all the photos where I look like I want to bang Tahani.”

Suddenly all of the photos disappeared except for one and Eleanor realized something. 

_Oh Fork,_ She thought. _I’ve got it bad for Tahani._

\---

As soon as Eleanor realized her feelings for Tahani she did what she always did when faced with something big: she ignored it and went to bed. Unfortunately when she woke up twelve hours later the feelings were still there. 

So she did what she always did and pushed them deep down and locked them away for another time. _That’s a future Eleanor problem,_ she decided. Besides she had a present to wrap and a party to get ready for.

\---

Eleanor walked into Vicky’s house, which looked like the Christmas section of a craft store had thrown up, and instantly started looking for the alcohol which she could not find. She did however locate Tahani.

She was standing by the stairs, arms crossed and silently judging the party, while wearing the dress Eleanor had picked out. 

She couldn’t bring herself to give her the picture frame, it was to personal a gift to give especially now. And besides the dress did look stunning on Tahani. 

“Eleanor!” Tahani exclaimed as soon as she locked eyes on her.

“Hey,” she gave a slight wave. 

As soon as Tahani was by her side she locked arms with Eleanor. “If I wasn’t already dead this party would do me in.”

“It is a little much.”

“A little? Eleanor, Liberace called and he said it needs to be toned down.”

“Oh yeah?” Eleanor looked down at the floor trying not to focus on the feeling of Tahani’s skin on her own.

“That was a joke. Are you alright?”

No, no she wasn’t. “No,” Eleanor sighed. “I can’t do this. Come here.”

She took Tahani’s hand and pulled her into the library. It turned out that future Eleanor wasn’t as far in the future as she thought and if she didn’t tell Tahani her feelings she was going to go crazy. But as soon as they walked through the doors they stopped suddenly shocked by the sight of Jason & Janet in front of them. She was dressed as Belle from Beauty & the Beast in the gold ball gown & he was playing the part of the beast, minus the beastility, in an elaborate blue suit.

“Janet you are the coolest, smartest woman I’ve ever met—“

“Not a woman”

“And I think it would be seriously dope if you married me.”

“I will marry you Jason because you asked me.”

“What the fork is this?” Eleanor asked. 

Jason and Janet turned and looked at Eleanor and Tahani. 

“Hello!” Janet said with a wave. 

“Hi.” Tahani and Eleanor said, both looking quiet stunned. 

“Tahani,” Jason took a step forward. “Look I know that we’re soulmates and everything but I love Janet and this might be hard for you--”

Tahani stopped him by holding up her hand and then sighed. “Jason, I have no interest in how you live your life. So,” she paused searching for the right phrase “you do you.”

“Thanks man. That really means a lot to me”

Tahani turned to Eleanor. “You had something to discuss?”

“Yeah.” Eleanor stumbled on her words as she looked over at Janet and Jason. There was no way she could tell Tahani how she felt now, not after a literal Disney proposal had just happened in front of them. “I’m your secret santa. I hope you liked your dress.” Eleanor could feel her face turning red. “Have fun at the party. I’ll see you.”

Eleanor dropped Tahani’s hand and ran out of the room.

\---

Eleanor didn’t stop running until she got home and even then she wanted to keep running. Maybe she could catch a ride to the Medium Place, go see Mindy. She was just the type of self-destruction Eleanor usual sought out in times like this.   
But she knew that wasn’t the answer. And neither was hiding out and drinking,both of which she was currently doing in her creepy clown bedroom. 

Tahani didn’t feel the same way she did, Eleanor knew that. How could she? She was a supermodel and Eleanor was a dumpster fire. They weren’t even on the same level.

_These creepy clowns they’re on my level,_ Eleanor thought as she took a sip from her bottle of wine. _I deserve them._

Suddenly the door to her room opened and there stood Tahani. 

“What the fork?” Eleanor asked jumping up. “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you. You left the party so fast, you missed Chidi giving Jason his present.”

“Really? What did he decide on?”

“He rapped the plot of the Fast and Furious movies. I didn’t follow it but Jason said it was ‘dope bro’ so I feel it was accurate.” 

Eleanor sat back down on the bed and cradled the bottle of wine close to her chest. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“I am too.” Tahani took a seat on the edge of the bed and it was then that Eleanor finally noticed she was holding a box. 

“You never gave away your present.”

“I am now.” She held it out to Eleanor. 

Eleanor’s eyes got wide.“For me?” She had never even thought about someone getting her a present, in all honesty she was pretty sure Vicky would have kept her name out of it just to torture her. 

Slowly she untied the bow on the top and then pulled off the lid. Inside the box sat a brown rock. 

Eleanor couldn’t help but let out a sad little, “Oh.”

“Take it out.”

Eleanor shot Tahani a confused look but did as she was told. She picked it up and as soon as she felt the bottom she knew there was more to this present than met the eye. She turned the rock over in her hand and there in the center of the rock was a clustering of amethyst crystals. 

“Oh Tahani,” She was speechless.

“I’ve always loved geodes,” She explained. “They’re so hard and threatening on the outside but when crack through they’re beautiful.”

Eleanor stared at the gift in her hand and suddenly knew that now was the time. No matter what Tahani’s reaction was going to be now was the time to find out. 

“I love it Tahani,” she took deep breath preparing herself for what was about to come next. “And I think I love you.”

Eleanor’s eyes went to the floor ready to be shot down. 

“Eleanor,” Tahani placed a hand under Eleanor’s chin bringing her face up. “I think I might love you too.”

Eleanor smiled. “Good. Great. Okay.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Tahani leaned forward and kissed Eleanor. It was short, tender and perfect. 

As she leaned in for another kiss Eleanor realized that maybe the Holiday’s weren’t quite as terrible as she had once thought them to be.


End file.
